The Mommy Blawg

AMERICAN BABY

November's issue of American Baby includes the results of a Playtex survey on the question "Where have you breastfed in public?". The top answers were: Inside a parked car (82%), A ladies' room (58%), Outdoors in a park (44%), and A store or restaurant (41%).

Interesting. However, I'm not sure I would consider breastfeeding in a car or in a restroom "in public." Based on the likelihood that someone will either 1) realize what you are doing, or 2) see some part of you that normally remains covered, breastfeeding in your own living room while persons who are not members of your immediate family are present seems, to me, to be much more "in public" than in the back seat of your tinted-window minivan.

Please, please, never, ever breastfeed a baby in a bathroom stall. I don't care what. It is nasty and dirty and crawling with germs. You would not think of eating your own lunch in there so don't feed your baby her lunch in there. Plus, it sends a message to others that breastfeeding is dirty, shameful, etc. Modesty is all fine and good, but a bathroom stall is going overboard. The only exception I make to the "no breastfeeding in the restroom" rule is when there is a lounge-type restroom that has a couch or a big comfy chair a good distance away from the toilets.